Countdown to Internet Doomsday: Will Your Computer Survive?
Come July 9, some 277,000 computers worldwide are still on track to lose Internet unless a fix is applied.
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Without a temporary FBI fix, it is possible that hundreds of thousands of computer users could still lose access to the Internet on July 9.
The Huffington Post reported in April that international hackers ran an online advertising scam and infected computers with a malicious software called DNSChanger, which leads users to fraudulent websites making computers vulnerable.
The FBI responded with a safety net using clean DNS servers to prevent internet disruptions, however, the solution is temporary. The clean DNS servers will be turned off on July 9 and computers still impacted by DNSChanger may lose Internet connectivity at that time, according to the FBI's website.
Once the shutdown is complete, infected computers could lose access to the internet.
According to CBS News, although down from the number reported in April, some 277,000 computers worldwide - 64,000 of them in the United States - could still be infected. The FBI is still urging users to visit www.dcwg.org, a website run by its security partner, to find out whether their computer is infected and learn how to fix the problem.
